The Villain: Claiming The Protagonist's Master

They used cheers to express their respect for these heroes who helped them kill the enemies.

A pretty mermaid with her upper body covered by a piece of red cloth stared unblinkingly at Su Chen.

A smile slowly blossomed on her face, as moving as a human's, and she said, "Thank you for helping us."

Her voice was soft and delicate, giving an immensely soothing feeling.

Su Chen gave Green Vine a glance, and Green Vine handed the mermaid over to the others.

Seeing this, under the leadership of the mermaid chief, the mermaids in the water straightened their bodies as much as they could and bent slightly toward Su Chen and his group in a gesture of thanks.

Witnessing this, Su Chen and his group hastily bent over in return.

When they raised their heads, they saw the mermaids covering their faces with their hands, giggling.

The laughter was crisp and pleasant, like orioles singing at night.

Su Chen blushed again, lowering his head in embarrassment, unwilling to meet the gaze of these mermaids. The reason being that the red orbs on the mermaids' chests were exposed, bouncing in front of him. This alluring sight made his face burn hot.

The mermaid chief waved her jade-like hand, and several mermaids turned around and swam back toward the lake.

A quarter-hour later, the previously departing mermaids returned, handing a large multicolored crystal, about the size of a basin, to the mermaid chief.

Su Chen looked at the multicolored crystal in the chief's hand. Shining brilliantly under the sunlight, it made him delighted.

He thought to himself that not only was this mermaid chief stunningly beautiful, but she was also incredibly clever and skilled in handling matters.

The multicolored crystal, entirely made of radiant hues and resembling glazed glass, was said to be a divine stone used by the ancient goddess Nuwa to mend the heavens.

It was rumored that if one could absorb the chaotic power within the multicolored crystal, they might break through to the legendary Great Emperor realm.

However, finding such a multicolored crystal was extremely difficult, dependent entirely on fate.

For these mermaids to gift such a precious object showed their genuinely kind nature.

In front of everyone, the mermaid chief handed the multicolored crystal to Su Chen with a smile. Bowing respectfully, she said, "Thank you for saving my daughter. This is a small token of our gratitude; please accept it."

Her voice was sweet and melodious, like the tinkling of a spring, leaving people feeling refreshed and happy.

Seeing this, Su Chen didn't act modestly and directly accepted it, thanking her, "Thank you!"

Afterward, he prepared to leave with the two women.

"Please wait!"

Seeing this, the mermaid chief spoke again, "We have lived in this ancient secret realm for millions of years. Unfortunately, we can never leave. I hope you can take my daughter out of this secret realm, back to the Western Continent of the Profound Sky, to find our mermaid tribe."

As she spoke, her voice gradually choked up, as though there were countless unspoken words she couldn't voice.

Su Chen furrowed his brows. He understood the mermaid chief's thoughts; she didn't want her daughter to be trapped in this secret realm forever like herself.

Thinking of this, Su Chen nodded and agreed, "I can promise your request to take your daughter out of this secret realm, but…"

Su Chen hesitated, leaving his words incomplete.

Seeing Su Chen's hesitation, the mermaid chief seemed to sense his dilemma and continued, "Do you mean to say that unless my daughter becomes your contracted spirit beast, you can't take her out of this secret realm?"

"Yes!" Su Chen didn't hide it and nodded directly.

Upon hearing this, the mermaid chief walked to her daughter and exchanged a few words. Then, the two approached Su Chen. The chief said, "My daughter says you're a good person, and she's willing to trust you."

Hearing this, Su Chen awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had never considered himself a good person, and this was the first time he'd been called one by a woman of another race.

Looking at the mermaid chief's daughter, who was gazing at him intently, Su Chen asked, "What's her name?"

"Natasha!"

"In that case, Natasha, let's form the spirit beast contract." Su Chen didn't delay and spoke directly.

After all, there were many treasures waiting for him in the ancient secret realm, and he needed to save time.

The mermaid chief's daughter nodded and opened her consciousness sea.

Soon, Natasha's consciousness sea connected with Su Chen's, and Su Chen felt a unique power merge into his mind.

This power allowed him to communicate with Natasha. Though Natasha couldn't speak for now, she could transmit her thoughts to Su Chen's mind.

Su Chen had Luo Shen take out a red dress from his spatial ring and draped it over Natasha, covering the two "bunnies" on her chest.

Although Natasha, as a mermaid, didn't mind such things, Su Chen considered her future and thought it inappropriate for her chest to sway openly in front of others.

He gave Natasha a quarter-hour to bid farewell to her family.

Natasha knew this journey could be a lifelong separation. Reluctantly, she nestled in her mother's arms, looking around at the familiar faces, and her tears fell uncontrollably.

———

Northern Continent, Heavenly Demon Sect!

Heart Cultivation Hall!

"Ugh~ Ugh~ Ugh…"

Mu Yuqing couldn't help but retch.

Earlier, while cultivating the Heavenly Demon Technique, she suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Lan Xiaoyou hurriedly supported Mu Yuqing, asking with concern.

Since returning from the Eastern Continent a month ago, her master's condition had worsened by the day.

After a month of rest, not only hadn't Mu Yuqing's cultivation recovered, but it had also regressed further—from the first level of the Quasi-Emperor realm to the ninth level of the Great Sage realm.

Lan Xiaoyou feared that at this rate, Mu Yuqing might fall out of the Great Sage realm entirely. This dire situation filled her with worry.

Mu Yuqing shook her head and said, "I don't know why, but just now, my stomach suddenly churned, and I felt nauseous."

"This shouldn't be. Master's cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Technique shouldn't cause such symptoms!" Lan Xiaoyou frowned, deeply puzzled.

Mu Yuqing was equally perplexed. She found it odd that she now vomited no matter what she ate.

This abnormality frightened her, as it was the first time she'd experienced such a thing in years.

Moreover, she realized her current symptoms were strikingly similar to the early pregnancy signs described in books.

"Could it be… I was hit by that damned thief in one shot?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y